Gather, a new cafe from ChoLon chef-owner Lon Symensma, opening soon in the Golden Triangle

A few weeks ago, during dinner at ChoLon, Lon Symensma's downtown contemporary Asian restaurant, Symensma and his partner, Jim Deters, let me in on a little secret: Flow Restaurant Group, the company under which ChoLon is umbrellaed, they told me, would soon have a second restaurant under its belt, and today, Deters and Symensma sent out a note to the media describing exactly what that new concept is.

Gather, a community lounge and cafe, will open by the end of the year in the historic Rocky Mountain Bank building, 1062 Delaware Street, as part of a larger project called Galvanize, a 30,000 square-foot collaborative workplace and digital start-up facility that will also be located at the same address.

"Gather will embrace the creeds of Galvanize as a community cafe for connecting minds, as much as serving exceptional food," said Deters in a press release. "Guests are encouraged to convene over a meal or snack, and if they so choose, stay awhile to exchange ideas and innovate together," he added.

The cafe, open Monday through Friday for breakfast, lunch and late-afternoon snacking, will offer house-baked scones and muffins, bagels with house-cured salmon and granola and oatmeal during the morning hours, while salads, classic deli sandwiches and seasonal soups will round out the lunch menu; specials, including bánh mì, a definitive nod toward Symensma's passion for Vietnamese cuisine, for which ChoLon has become renowned, will also be part of the lineup.

In addition, the cafe will feature fresh-squeezed juices, "boutique" "pour over" coffee from Ninety Plus, a java purveyor whose beans are planted and harvested on its estate in Panama, as well as happy hour. "Ultimately, a full bar will be available to capture a happy hour crowd, with an extensive selection of artisanal Colorado beers on tap and bar snacks to match," noted Deters in the release.

While Galvanize, the shared space facility, which Deters described as "an ecosystem for entrepreneurship through venture capital, community and curriculum," launches on October 22, the cafe and lounge is slated to open in December.